The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-10-19


tlemen.v said the commander-in-chief,
with sigh, tha, she was I9 and ] was
81
Il might remark pareniheticaliy that
there Is nothing in life quite 20 fascinat-
! ing as to be isolated in the wilderness in
company with a beautiful woman. Sew
eral books have been written with that
one idea to carry them, and, like Charles
Reade's Foul Play they have always
caught the publics eye There was no
sentimental talk between Us. The crack
! of TIN. guerilla rife. the distant boom Of
battle. the war smoke in the air, and the
period when no one knew what day
might bring forth, we're very III adapted
for sincere love making, and that any
thing in the shape Of nian could have
made love to Ellen Sunderland insincere-
( ly il would take bitter eynie to believe.
I But we were together none the less 10
I eether when the tree shadows crept slow
ly across the hot. still, brown fields, as
/ the sun sank lower and lower toward the
mountains SUBMITS; together in the
/ stiffness and loneliness Of the moss grown
aisles of the woods; in the enoontide heat;
/ together when the big, round harvest
moon hung still and shimmering like
great sheet of gold balanced against the
black velvet wall of the autumn night
universe. What we said and what we
did, and what we thought it matters not.
II would be to Won very like chestnut,
perhaps to dwell upon it. Every woman
knows who has ever been 10; every man
remembers who knew what it was to be
/ %.
Well, one day when ! entered the
house had surprise. | had heard ru-
mors Of there being wounded Confeder-
ate officer in hiding at the Sunderlands.
/ had paid no attention to them, however,
belle ling them to be without foundation.
But on this day. entering the house a. US
ual without knocking, opened the door
Of the reception room, or parlor, the first
door on the right hand side of the hall,
which ran through the house. There
was a large fireplace in this room on the
side opposite the door As stepped in
] saw an easy chair, high backed, in front
of this fire. I VAS instantly conscious
in some way--for certainly saw nothing
Of him-tlat man, and stranger, was
sitting in that chair did not attempt
to see any more. / stepped out, closed
the door. and quietly took chair in the
sitting room opposite. In a moment or
two the eldest daughter came in hurried
ly, pale and agitIted"
So Mr. She "a pod did YOU 90
into the other room
81 did s,id l.
Did YOU see anybody
Il did not" answered, very quietly.
She looked me squarely in the eye. ]
looked squarely back. She bowed and,
apparently relieved passed out
"She had scarcely gone before Addie
came in. She was confused at seeing me
in the sitting room.
oh, Mr.. -, she said, and then
stopped in perplexity.
What is it?' asked.
90 was going to ask-I-thai is-did
YOU 20 into the other room?
50 did said l.
a. Did you see anybody
- did not
And then with the same question on
her lips, Ellen came in, ignorant Of what
had occurred with the others. She was
very grave, almost sad She asked me
the same question in a low, and appealing
tone ! did not like even a subterfnge
with her When she asked if had pen
etrated the mysterious apartment | ask
ed, shaking my head
And why? Is there anything in this
house TO conceal?'
The eldest sister, who had returned,
shook her head in denial II was no
wonder. He was her husband, | suppose
! looked at Ellen and Addie They look
ed away They never looked as lovely,
at least to me For they would not tell
a lie and they trusted me.
Well. heard no more Of the stranger,
and things ran on as before for week or
two. Then there came repeated rumors
Of the guerillas in the neighborhood. and
we began to take extra precautions. !
continued to call daily at the Sunder-
lands, and one afternoon as was going
away Ellen seemed particularly i'll at
ease. She was nervous, nesitating. and
altogether unlike herself | said good
bye TO her at the porch and went out to
my horse. As ! was about to mount she
came out Of the houss toward me bear
ing long, rich crimson silk scarf, with
fine tasseis of white silk at either end.
She held it ont to me, saying:
VIII you wear this-for me?'
- ] cannot rob you ! said. Outside of
the guitar, believe it was the only thing
of any value that she had left in the
world.
Please wear il, she said. And while
I hesitated she deity put il around my
neck, and before suspected had put her
arms around, too, and had kissed me
squarely on the lips As looked at her,
quite staggered, in an altogether happy
state Of surprise, the tears sprang to her
eyes and she turned away and went
hastily into the house
rode down the road slowly Her
conduct was 80 strange, and the memory
of that kiss, the first and last she ever
gave me, was 50 tenacious that il drove
everything else out of my mind. My
rein fell upon my horses neck, and if
+ there had been any hostile sharIshooter
or Confederate troop anywhere about |
would have been an easy prey / had
five men with me. but they had gone
further up the road and did not wait
for them. rode thoughtfully along dur
ing most of the way for four miles Fin
ally approached The Cap the place of
which spoke, the darkest and most Sc
clnded section of the whole distance.
As entered il ! heard some one
calling behind me. In little while
recognized Josh, my negro cook, who had
been visiting some plantation. He was
afraid, suppose, and wanted protection,
though he made some other excuse for
calling refined up in the shade of